Michael Anbar

Published October 16, 2014 This content is archived.

Michael Anbar, professor emeritus of physiology and biophysics, died Oct. 2 in his home in Fountain Hills, Ariz., after a long illness. He was 87.

Born in the Free City of Danzig, now Gdansk, Poland, Anbar took part in Israel’s war for independence in besieged Jerusalem and then in the fledgling Israeli air force. He earned a master’s degree and doctorate in physical chemistry from Hebrew University in Jerusalem.

He began his career as a junior research chemist at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel and advanced to associate professor. He consulted with the Israel Atomic Energy Commission, where he played a role in developing Israel’s nuclear program, and the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission.

After serving in a number of positions at the Stanford Research Institute and NASA’s Ames Research Center, Anbar joined the UB faculty in 1977 as professor and chair of the Department of Biophysical Sciences.

He served as department chair until 1990, and continued as a faculty member until his retirement in 2002.

While at UB, he also served of executive director of the Health Care Instruments and Devices Institute (HIDI) from 1983-84, as well as associate dean for applied research in the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences from 1983-85.

In addition, he taught in UB’s departments of Dental Materials and Ophthalmology, and in the Department of Biophysics at Roswell Park Cancer Institute.

Anbar’s interests included Biblical studies, Jewish history, world affairs, classical music and opera. He collected art, mostly wood sculptures, from around the world.

He published a book of essays, “Israel and Its Future: Analysis and Suggestions,” in 2004.

His endowment of the Anbar Foundation supports annual lectures in biophysics at UB and in Jewish ethics at Syracuse University and at Temple Adath Yeshurun in Syracuse.